Process control systems, like those used in chemical, petroleum or other processes, typically include one or more process controllers and input/output (I/O) devices communicatively coupled to at least one host or operator workstation and to one or more field devices via analog, digital or combined analog/digital buses. The field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure and flow rate sensors), perform process control functions within the process such as opening or closing valves and measuring process control parameters. The process controllers receive signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices, process this information to implement a control routine, and generate control signals that are sent over the buses or other communication lines to the field devices to control the operation of the process. In this manner, the process controllers may execute and coordinate control strategies or routines using the field devices via the buses and/or other communication links communicatively coupling the field devices.
Information from the field devices and the controllers may be made available to one or more applications (i.e., software routines, programs, etc.) executed by the operator workstation (e.g., a processor-based system) to enable an operator to perform desired functions with respect to the process, such as viewing the current state of the process (e.g., via a graphical user interface), evaluating the process, modifying the operation of the process (e.g., via a visual object diagram), etc. Many process control systems also include one or more application stations. Typically, these application stations are implemented using a personal computer, workstation, or the like that is communicatively coupled to the controllers, operator workstations, and other systems within the process control system via a local area network (LAN). Each application station may execute one or more strategies, routines, or applications that perform campaign management functions, maintenance management functions, virtual control functions, diagnostic functions, real-time monitoring functions, safety-related functions, configuration functions, etc. within the process control system.
Process control systems typically include alarms to alert operators to conditions or issues that are outside a normal operating process. Further, process control systems may include monitoring information and/or diagnostics to monitor process control routines, field devices, controllers, and/or communications within the process control systems. Currently, an operator of a process may have to manually configure a display of alarms, monitoring information, or diagnostics in a user interface that may be specific to a process area, a group of field devices, a portion of a process, and/or process control components under the control of an operator. However, this manual configuration may be burdensome for process control operators because a user interface may have to be constructed for each operator, process control system, process control area, and/or group of field devices. The manual configuration may also produce user interface screens with overlapping alerts, monitoring information, and/or diagnostics. Further, when a process control system is modified, the corresponding user interfaces may also have to be changed to reflect the modification.